Having a Covid vaccine before an infection slashes your risk of suffering long-term, study finds

HAVING a vaccine before being infected with coronavirus reduces your risk of long Covid by 58 per cent, a study shows.

Getting at least three doses before catching your first case reduced the risks of the long-term condition by 73 per cent, Swedish researchers found.

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They said it shows the importance of making sure you’re up to date with your jabs, with all eligible Brits currently being urged to get their Covid booster this winter.

Dr Lisa Lundberg-Morris, of the University of Gothenburg, said: “The results from this study highlight the importance of complete primary vaccination coverage against Covid-19.

“Not only does it reduce the risk of severe acute Covid-19 infection but also the burden of post-Covid-19 condition in the population.”

Long Covid is a long-term condition that is thought to blight up to two million adults in England.

It can cause extreme tiredness, loss of smell, muscle aches, shortness of breath and physical pain, with symptoms sometimes lasting years.

Scientists are still working on understanding why it only affects some people who had the virus. 

The NHS offers long-Covid services for people whose lives are negatively impacted by the condition.

But the Government’s early handling of the Covid crisis has come under scrutiny this week, with Sir Chris Whitty admitting he was “aware” Boris Johnson did not think long Covid existed in the early days.

Speaking at the Covid Inquiry, England’s Chief Medical Officer said he knew the former Prime Minister was sceptical of the condition in 2020 and part of 2021.

Later in the pandemic, Sir Chris said he had a “discussion” with Mr Johnson on Britain’s response and they “agreed on an approach”.

The latest research, published in the BMJ, looked at how effective vaccines are at preventing the condition.

Researchers looked at data from more than half a million Swedish adults from December 2020 to February 2022.

Unvaccinated adults were almost four times as likely to be diagnosed with long Covid than those who were vaccinated before their first infection.

One dose reduced the risk by 21 per cent, while two doses reduced it by 59 per cent.

Dr Lundberg-Morris said: “We found a strong association between vaccination before first registered covid-19 and a reduced risk of receiving a diagnosis of long Covid.

“Unvaccinated individuals had an almost fourfold higher proportion of long Covid diagnoses compared with those who were vaccinated before infection.”